Professor Simon Cross and his assistant, Elizabeth West, thought their time traveling days were over. That's before they stumble across a World War II photograph -- with missing time traveler, Evan Eldridge, injured and in desperate need of help. They find Evan in 1942 London, ill and not quite sure what's happened. He remembers only one thing with crystal clarity -- the whereabouts of an artifact Hitler believes can win the war. That's information every Nazi spy in the country would kill to know. As if saving Evan and surviving war-torn England weren't enough, the outcome of the war hinges on Simon and Elizabeth finding Evan's artifact before the Nazis do. But time is running for them, for London, for the world.
Monique was born in Houston, Texas, but her family soon moved to Southern California. She grew up on both coasts, living in Connecticut and California. She currently resides in Southern California with her naughty Siamese cat, Monkey.
Monique attended the University of Southern California's Film School where she earned a BFA from the Filmic Writing department. Monique worked in television for several years before joining the family business. She now works full-time as a freelance writer and novelist. Her novels Out of Time, When the Walls Fell, Fragments & The Devil's Due are the first three books in the Out of Time series.
She's currently working on an adaptation of one of her screenplays, her father's memoirs about his time in the Air Force's Air Rescue Service and the next book in the Out of Time series.
Haven't finished this one yet, but I will not be continuing the series. The only reason I got this far was because I had purchased three books in one. I really like the concept and the stories. The plot and time travel intertwining makes it really interesting. The romance is what kills it for me. There is nothing attractive about a controlling, overprotective man. It is just creepy.
I found this book to be much more enjoyable than the last one. Time travel seemed much more relevant to the story, and the story had a much better plot to it. Simon and Elizabeth went back to WWII to rescue Evan Eldridge, the missing husband of Lillian Eldridge, whom they had met in book 2. The use of the character, Evan Eldridge, and the addition of Jack West added to the story, and tied the new story to the previous book. Simon and Elizabeth continue to be interesting characters, and the addition of Jack allows for a second story line. I did miss the paranormal theme from the first book, but the spy theme more than made up for it. I am looking forward to reading the next book is the series.
FRAMENTS is the third instalment in Monique Martin’s Out of Time series featuring the time travel adventures of Sir Simon Cross and his lady love Elizabeth West. This time, Elizabeth has made a plea with Simon to travel back to war-torn 1942 England in search of a missing member from the Council for Temporal Studies. Knowing the man never returned from a 1906 mission, Elizabeth and Simon will find Evan Eldridge’s photograph in a picture dated from 1942.
Simon was taking Elizabeth back to England to meet his Aunt Victoria, but like many estranged family members, Simon’s anxiety level rose exponentially as the couple’s journey was reaching its’ destination. Knowing the visit would not end well, Simon finally agreed to travel back to 1942 to find the missing man and return him to his own time period. But preparations for a war-ravaged London, England did not prepare them for the very real possibility that their presence and investigation would bring them into contact with British Intelligence, the German SS, a military sector of M15 and an America spy named Jack Wells and his British counter-part Blake. But during war, no one is ever who they claim to be.
Evan’s mysterious disappearance continued to baffle Elizabeth and Simon, especially when they finally locate and get permission to visit. Finding Evan in a military hospital under armed guards would throw the couple into a deadly game of espionage and intrigue. Evan’s body and mind were on a slow road to recovery following a massive head injury and bout with pneumonia, and his mind at times tended to wander. But a whisper of cryptic words would send Elizabeth and Simon on a search for the final missing Shard, that not only did the US and British Intelligence want, but the German SS and the Nazi regime. The mythological history surrounding the ancient sword and it’s many broken shards, was a tale that the Nazi’s were willing to prove true.
Simon’s love for Elizabeth is the stuff of fairy tales, and throughout the story his plans to ask her to marry him were continually thwarted and interrupted by a series of events and the continuing saga of war. Once again, I can only hope that there are real men who feel the same about the women in their lives as Simon feels for Elizabeth. Monique’s handling of their relationship is beautiful, but in this particular storyline, their romance and love scenes are few and rare. And Monique’s ability to weave humor into their adventure can only be explained by Zog- good luck to any child with a name like Zog.
Monique’s description of 1942 London England adds to the depth and passion of the storyline as the search for a missing man and the missing shard takes the couple to many of the buildings that will suffer at the hands of the German bombers. From a quiet secluded English countryside to the nightly black-outs in a city hoping to survive another day during the war, FRAGMENTS takes the reader on an adventure- a time warp of sorts- and one that will keep you guessing til the end. And of course, back to the future has a whole new meaning, when Simon and Elizabeth bring someone from the past back to the present.
Fragments is great and it really seems that Martin is coming into her own with her characters. While there is still a "romantic issue" for Simon and Elizabeth, it isn't as much the driving force of the plot but ancillary to the overall adventure.
While on holiday in present-day England, Simon and Elizabeth see someone they recognize in a photo at a museum, suffering from shell shock and amnesia. They head to 1942 England to rescue their friend from a hospital, but it isn't as easy as they expected.
Martin outdid herself here - it is obvious that she has done a ton of research into the time period and of the London area. This feels like a time travel book, whereas the previous two felt primarily like romance novels. The characters that Simon and Elizabeth meet are interesting, and she really did well to paint the picture of a spy network, mystery and intrigue with a bit of folklore. Simon's expertise in the occult came in handy as well, which I felt was lacking in the previous books.
My only wish is that the Council threads from the previous books weren't left essentially untouched in this book. It just seems like something that would be such an interesting framework, and even if Simon and Elizabeth decide to do their own things ad hoc and never join, I do find it disapointing that the Council is cloaked in so much mystery, even after being sent on a mission by them in the previous book (to which that conclusion of returning home and reporting back was not discussed in this book as I expected, given the abrupt ending).
Fragments is the best in the series yet, and I look forward to seeing where Simon and Elizabeth go next.
This is the 3rd book in this series that I have read. All of them grabbed my attention from within the first chapter through the end of the book. Characters as well as all of the locations visited were so vividly explained that I could almost envision them. The plot was very well written and made it hard for me to put the book down. I love history (hated history class and usually had my mom do my homework lol but if classes was more like this I may of went to more of them)
I love Simon Cross, his accent (Tom Jordan you rock) and his reactions to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a free spirit who is always wanting to help others, and to tell the truth even if it puts her in danger. Simon loves Elizabeth and he was kept on his toes keeping her safe in this the third book in the Out of Time Series. Secondary characters were so well done, It was fairly easy to keep track of all the characters and this book, I could not stop listening to and thinking about. The narrator Tom Jordan did a tremendous job with all these characters, and all the accents from Russian to German and more. Tom's voice is dreamy as Simon Cross. I love the way Simon said 'Elizabeth' when responding to her actions and the crazy things she would say at times. So looking forward to the next book in the series!
19 September 2019 Book 3 in the series took you back to England during the 11WW. A time filled with shortages, spies and the ever-unanswered question of who to trust. There were times that I really enjoyed the story and at times it felt as if words were just repeated becoming clichés. The story continues from Book 2, the team left 1906 in the midst of the disastrous earthquake. After seeing Eldridge in a newspaper the two decide they had to rescue him. His wife had no idea where he was. Meeting a new person, Jack, they were in for a suspenseful time in the English countryside. As always it made for interesting reading as you embark on another adventure with Elizabeth and Simon. Their love continually growing during these encounters.
The third installment in the adventures of Simon and Elizabeth reached new heights. These two are my favourite literary couple. In Fragments their ongoing relationship again steals the show. Funny, romantic and passionate.
The story itself sees our heroes travelling to London during world war 2, and Martin cuts loose with a wonderfully plot tale of intrigue and action.
I loved this faultless novel and can't wait to read more of Simon and Elizabeth's adventures in time.
This was definitely my favorite read, so far. I'm totally addicted to these time traveling adventures Simon and Elizabeth have. Its like in the mist of a crisis, they always find love and most importantly humor. I absolutely love that they found the lost time traveler, don't want to say his name so as to not ruin the story for future readers. In any case their reunion with past friends was so sweet and had a huge smile forming on my face! Great way to end this third adventure.
This series has 16 books in it. I think this is my go to series for when I want a light, little adventure. The main characters, Simon and Elizabeth are easy to like. They don’t go too deep but you get to know them. I haven’t read one of these books in a long time so when they referred to previous adventures, I was able to remember easily what happened because the author briefly recaps it. This one goes back to World War II which is a time period that I find fascinating so that was a big plus.
Started this third book immediately after finishing number two. I enjoyed this very much as it brought back a few of the characters from book two and tied up a situation from book two also. This was a quick and easy read. Monique Martin writes well and makes you feel you are right there with the characters. Her descriptions of places also makes you visualize them and makes you feel you are right there. As I said above, I enjoyed this book very much.
I am obsessed with this trilogy! Ms. Martin has done an exhaustive research on the topic and the eras, and it shows. With elegant style and superb dominion of the storytelling she involve you in the story. To the point where you'd feel a wee bit tire after the characters return to their own timeline. And in this book she mentions Doctor Who. I'm in love with Ms. Martin's books.
I truly love this series, I am reading them each in order, and I find the history references are spot on. Mixed with the time travel and mysteries this continues to be "just my cup of tea"! No spoilers from me...just enjoy Monique's lovely writing style. Prepare to be delighted and intrigued.
Elizabeth and Simon just can't get enough of traveling to the past and getting involved in danger and intriguing situations. Another entertaining time travel novel in the Out of Time series
I love reading about time travel and Monique Martin has certainly made it enjoyable to follow this characters throughout time and many different places. I will continue to read her books as long as she writes them.
This is a great series with great characters. Variety of things going on to pique anyone's interests. Action, romance, drama, comedy - Monique has a flair for writing characters that seem so real. Can't wait to read more in this time travel series.
the last in this boxed set I got for free or $1 via Bookbub or Riffle I was surprised I enjoyed this so much. It was an easy read, but not lightweight. A pleasing mix of time travel and romance that kept me engaged and turning pages. Recommended.
I enjoyed this book very much. I came away from reading this era in London with a more human perspective of what it felt like to be there. This series is a must-read for readers who like a bit of history in different eras.
If you can get by the first book and its weaknesses, the following books are much better. An easy read and if you are a romance/time travel fan worth looking for.
Second World War England, a lost time traveller, an American secret service man, a nazi mole, a mythical treasure-hunt.. and King Zog of Albania. How could this not be a good read?
Part of me is disappointed this isn't the last in the series, and part of me pleased. These books are great fun to read, and not just fluffy books either.
Somehow this series has snuck up on me. I found the first book somewhat slow in pacing and the characters reactions not totally realistic but not so with this 3rd book.
Really enjoy the characters. Some dark subjects in this....but then anything surrounding war is dark. I enjoy the authors writing style and will look for more books by her.